(JNS) I have read the recent statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem warning against so-called “damaging ideologies” like Christian Zionism. As a native Aramaic Christian living in Israel, I feel I must respond—not to create division, but to share the truth about what life is really like for Christians living in the Holy Land.

Christian Zionism is not a political ploy. It is rooted in the Bible. God spoke of the daughter of Zion and loved His fellow Jewish people. Christian Zionism honors that biblical heritage while affirming the rights and freedom of Christians and Jews in the land where Jesus lived. It is an expression of faith, not a tool to “sow confusion” or “harm the unity of our flock.”

Christian Arabism is what is damaging. This ideology, historically, has erased entire Christian communities, stripped away our Aramaic language, converted churches into mosques and forcibly Islamized believers. Christians in the Middle East have lived as second-class citizens, with constant discrimination and the looming threat of violence in the best-case scenario. In the worst, they’ve had to flee their homelands or be slaughtered.

In 1910, Christians made up 77.5% of Lebanon’s population, 18.7% in Egypt, 15.6% in Syria, and 6.3% in Iraq. Today, those numbers have collapsed to roughly 32% in Lebanon, about 5% in Egypt, and less than 2% in both Iraq and Syria.

The leaders who signed this letter live in the very systems where Christian communities have nearly disappeared. Christians fell from 11.6% of the population in 1910 to less than 0.5% in Gaza and under 0.2% in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) today.

Yet instead of confronting why their flocks collapsed under Arab and Islamist rule, they condemn Christian Zionists who strengthen the Christian communities in Israel.

This is the historical reality of what happened when Arabs invaded and conquered our lands.

By contrast, Christians are full citizens in Israel. We vote, serve in the army, hold elected office and freely worship without fear of persecution.

Sha’di Halul, head of the Aramaic Maronite Heritage Center, reads a book in Aramaic, in Gush Halav in northern Israel, on Aug. 9, 2013. Photo by Yaakov Naumi/Flash90.

Yet Christian Zionism is framed as a “damaging ideology” by our Apostolic Church leaders. I feel sorry for them because they live in constant fear of the terror and brutal force of Muslim invaders in our original Christian lands. I understand their caution and their inclination to appease those who rule over them.

Their role is spiritual, not political. This is why I act, and why I urge my brothers and sisters in Israel and the Levant to act as a national Aramaic people, building civil leadership to defend our rights and heritage. We must be able to speak freely and feel safe.

I proudly call myself a Christian Zionist—not because I reject the church, but because I am a free Christian living under a government that protects my rights, my faith and my people. Zionism has brought education, prosperity and freedom to all citizens, including Christians. Native Christians are prospering in Israel.

Christian Zionists love Christianity and the land of Christ. Christian Arabists are acting against the Christian brotherhood by defending and appeasing Islamic invaders.

I say this with conviction: We cannot ignore history, scripture or reality, even if it is becoming unpopular or sounds harsh. I will continue to advocate for my people—as a Christian, as an Aramaic and as a citizen of Israel.

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